Episode 06 of Behind the Trial features an interview with United States District Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California. Nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1999, Judge Alsup has presided over newsworthy cases such as Oracle v Google and Waymo v Uber. He has ruled in high profile matters challenging the federal government’s authority, including a due process judgement in Ibrahim vs. Department of Homeland Security et al and one that halted the Trump Administration’s cancellation of DACA pending further judicial action.
Before becoming a judge, Alsup clerked for William O. Douglas of the US Supreme Court and practiced law as a trial lawyer for 26 years.
Judge Alsup went Behind the Trial to provide insight about his innovations in the courtroom, his faith in the jury system, and how establishing a sense of fairness is the key to winning a jury trial. He also tells us why likeability is an overrated quality for trial lawyers and why cross examinations are the most important elements of a trial.